Bioplastics

Breaking boundaries in biotechnology

Similar to our core Ingredient Solutions business, Corbion’s Innovation Platforms business unit creates new opportunities by applying disruptive technology that is built on decades of experience in fermentation and industrial scale manufacturing.

Collaborating with like-minded partners allows our customers to make conscious choices, so they can develop better, more sustainable innovations and products, based on renewable resources. We use our core technologies to make existing products even better for customers, or enter adjacent markets with current product lines, as well as developing revolutionary technologies that have never been seen before.

It is important to keep the end-market at the front of mind, ensuring connections are made with the right potential partners throughout the value chain – to create the best chance of a breakthrough and make a real difference.

For us, it’s clear that choosing the right partner is only the first stage. That’s why Corbion applies its innovation stage gate process – a step-by-step process of assessment of key milestones and market viability at every project stage. This ultimately enables us to progress only the best projects from lab stage to demo phase, and all the way to industrial scale manufacturing – saving valuable time and money. This is particularly relevant to large programs such as 2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), a potential replacement for purified terephthalic acid (PTA), used to create PEF as a new bioplastic for packaging like films and bottles. Our rigorous approach is helping assess the scale-up of its production, from pilot to demo scale, as well as validate the quality and consistency of the product when it is produced in larger amounts.

Championing collaboration

Take our 50/50 joint venture with Total for the production and marketing of the bioplastic polylactic acid (PLA). Together, we are commercializing a high-performance PLA resin that can be used to create bioplastics for a wide range of applications – from (degradable) food packaging to touchscreen computers and durable automotive components. We also continue to work on other long-term development projects, including a joint venture with BASF for the development of a biobased form of succinic acid – a renewable source material that’s suitable for applications such as biodegradable plastics.

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